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I spent the afternoon taking a ride around the city in an open-top double decker bus. This is ever-so-slightly dangerous because it could rain at any moment and you really can’t use your umbrella on a moving vehicle. I escaped the downpour, however…

Dublin Castle is kind of like a cross between the White House, Capitol and Supreme Court, with a bit of Smithsonian tossed in for character. Nobody actually lives there and none of the day-to-day government functions are done there, but it is still considered the closest thing to a central government building that Ireland has. It is generally used for various State related functions like dinners and is open to the public the rest of the time.

Here are some shots of the tour I took.

My next stop after the Guinness Brewery was Christ Church Cathedral, which is Dublin’s other Church of Ireland Cathedral. Christ Church is much older than St. Patrick’s and parts of it date from around 1000 to 1100 AD.

You can find more info at http://www.cccdub.ie

Here are some general scenes from around Dublin:

My next stop after St. Patrick’s Cathedral was the Guinness Brewery. Can you blame me?

This is still a functioning brewery, but there is also a nice tour and, of course, you get a free pint of Guinness at the end of the tour. Your free pint is provided in a circular room with a spectacular view of Dublin – provided it isn’t raining. You can find more information at http://www.guinness-storehouse.com/en/Index.aspx.